Voltage change-over switch for electrical apparatus



March 30, 1965 J. VAN DEN DRIEST 3,176,106

VOLTAGE CHANGE-OVER S WITQH FORELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1962FIG.3 15

INVENTOR.

0 JAN MN DEN' DRIEST FIG 5 AGENT United States Patent 3,176,106 VOLTAGECHANGE-OVER SWITCH FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Jan van den Driest,Drachten, Netherlands, assignor to North American Philips Company, Inc.,New York,

N.Y., a corporation'of Delaware Filed June 12, 1962, Ser. No. 201,969Claims priority, application ge7therlands, July 13, 1961,

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-157) The invention relates to a voltage change-overswitch for electrical apparatus, in particular shaving apparatus. Theinvention has for its object to provide a simple change-over switchwhich permits of readily changing over from, for example, 220 v. to 110v. mains voltage and conversely and which gives a clear indication ofthe voltage switched in.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that use is madeof two buttons movable in opposite directions, which buttons can beshifted along a surface on which two voltage markings are provided sothat always one of them is covered by one of the buttons.

It should be noted that push-button switches having two push-buttons oneof which serves to switch in and the other to switch out the voltage,are known. This construction is not suitable for a voltage change-overswitch because push-buttons may be readily operated unintentionally as aresult of an accidental contact with an object, for example when puttingdown a shaving apparatus on a table while difiiculties are also involvedin covering one of two voltage markings with push-buttons.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shaving apparatus incorporating theinvention, and

FIGS. 2 to are a plan View, a bottom view and a cross-sectional view,respectively, of a component part of the apparatus.

The shaving apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is accommodated in ahousing of a synthetic material consisting of two parts 1 and 3 securedto each other, the latter of which serves as a covering hood. The hood 3projects beyond the part 1 of the housing and in this projecting part achange-over switch is provided which is shown separately in FIGS. 3, 4and 5. This switch comprises an insulating supporting plate 5 on whichare provided two elongated and preferably parallel arranged slidingbuttons 7 and 9 adapted to be moved in the longitudinal directions inopposite directions. On the upper side, that is to say the visible sideof the plate 5, two voltage markings, for example, 110 and 220" arearranged in the paths of movement of the buttons 7 and 9 so that alwaysone of these voltage indications is covered by one of the buttons (seeFIGS. 1 and 3).

In the supporting plate 5 provision is made of two edge slots 11 and 13extending parallel to each other in the direction of movement of thebuttonsthat is to say, slots starting from one of the edges of theplatewhich serve as guides for the buttons 7 and 9. Each button (for thesake of clarity, only the button 7 shown completely in FIG. 5 isdescribed hereinafter) is constituted by one leg of a U-shaped memberwhich embraces the plate 5 on both sides and the connecting piece orcenter part 15 of which has a rectangular cross-section fitting in theassociated edge slot 11 and is guided by this slot, while the other leg16 actuates the moving contact member of the device in a mannerdescribed hereinafter. This member consists of a butterfly-shaped pieceof insulating material 19 which is adapted to rotate about a centralshaft 17 and on the lower side of which (see FIG. 4) two diametricallyopposed stripshaped change-over contacts 21 are provided the ends ofwhich are bent around the circular-cylindrical edge of the insulatingmember 19 (shown in elevation in FIG. 5). These bent ends co-operatewith four resilient fixed con- .tacts 23 disposed about the contactmember 19 which with the aid of loop-shaped portions 25 are secured topins 27 formed on the lower side of the supporting plate 5. The ends ofthe contacts 21 located on the lower side of the contact member 19 arewidened and cooperate with two contacts 29 (see also FIG. 5) which aresecured to two contact pins 31 with which they are in electricalconnection and which serve to connect the apparatus to a suitablecounterplug (not shown). By means of a conventional locking device 33under spring pressure the contact member 19 can be locked in two switchpositions.

In the leg of each of the U-shaped members located on the lower side ofthe supporting plate 5, for example in the leg 16 of the member 7, 15,16, provision is made of a recess 35 in which lies one of two embossedparts or projections 37 provided opposite to each other on the upperside of the contact member 19. Through these recesses and projectionsthe two U-shaped members of which the buttons 7 and 9 form part, areconnected with the contact member 19 so that when one of the buttons 7and 9 is displaced in one of the two directions, the contact member isactuated, the other button being moved in the opposite direction by thecontact member. Consequently always only one of the two voltage indiciais covered by one of the buttons 7 and 9 the voltage indicated beingobviously that to which the apparatus is set by the switch.

In a usual manner which need not be described further, the contacts 23are so connected to the apparatus in the housing 1, 3 that in oneposition -of the contact member 19 this apparatus is adjusted to one ofthe mains voltage and in the other position to the other of the mainsvoltage. In FIG. 5, the contacts 23 are omitted for the sake of clarity.

In FIG. 1, preferably, the supporting plate 5 with the buttons 7 and 9is arranged in the housing 1, 3 of the apparatus so that the buttondepressed-button 9 in FIG. 1disappears in the housing entirely or atleast in part, the other button 7 only slightly projecting from thehousing-in this case from the part 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the buttonsare disposed in a recessed corner constituted by the parts 1 and 3 ofthe housing which are at an angle of less than and consequently thebuttons are protected to a certain extent from unintentional operationdue to the apparatus being carelessly put down or striking anotherobject.

If desired, unintentional changing over may be avoided completely bydisposing the buttons so that they both remain within the housing, thenon-operated button being flush with the housing. In this embodiment, achangeover is effected with the aid of an accessory, for example thelower end of the brush for cleaning the apparatus.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. A voltage change-over switch for an electric shaver comprising aninsulated supporting plate provided with guide grooves therein, twobuttons slideable in said guide grooves, voltage indicia on saidsupporting plate in the path of travel of said buttons, a contactmember, and means pivotally securing said contact member to saidsupporting plate, said buttons being operatively connected to saidpivotal contact member whereby said buttons are simultaneously slidablein opposite directions so that one of said voltage indicia is alwayscovered by one of the buttons when another voltage connection has beenmade to said contact member.

2. A voltage change-over switch for an electric shaver 3 a as'claimed'in claim 1 wherein said buttons are elongated and are locatedsubstantially parallel.

3*. A voltage change-over switch for an electric shaver as claimed inclaim' 1 'wherein said guide grooves are edge slots and each of saidbuttons are U-shape'd in conf gurations with one leg of each of saidbuttons being the finger piece and the other leg being the means bywhich said contact member is actuated upon the movement of saidbutto'ns'in predetermined directions.

'4'. A Voltage change-over switch for an electric shaver comprising aninsulated supporting plate provided with guide grooves therein, twobuttons slide'able ih said guide grooves, voltage indicia on saidsupporting plate in the path of travel of said buttons, a contactmember, and means pivotally securing said contact member to saidsupporting plate, said buttons being operatively connected to saidpivotal contact member whereby said buttons are simultaneously slideablein opposite directions so that located in the area at the junction ofsaid two parts.

References Cited by theExaminer g UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,739 8/06Hart 200 172 2,228,665 1/41 Knopp 2o0 172 2,256,181, 9/41 Tyrner -t339-32 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT K. SCHAEF-ER, Examiner.

1. A VOLTAGE CHANGE-OVER SWITCH FOR AN ELECTRIC SHAVER COMPRISING ANINSULATED SUPPORTING PLATE PROVIDED WITH GUIDE GROOVES THEREIN, TWOBUTTONS SLIDEABLE IN SAID GUIDE GROOVES, VOLTAGE INDICIA ON SAIDSUPPORTING PLATE IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID BUTTONS, A CONTACTMEMBER, AND MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING SAID CONTACT MEMBER TO SAIDSUPPORTING PLATE, SAID BUTTONS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAIDPIVOTAL CONTACT MEMBER WHEREBY SAID BUTTONS ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY SLIDABLEIN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS SO THAT ONE OF SAID VOLTAGE INDICIA IS ALWAYSCOVERED BY ONE OF THE BUTTONS WHEN ANOTHER VOLTAGE CONNECTION HAS BEENMADE TO SAID CONTACT MEMBER.